498 
V. HEPATICvE. 
The fruiting organs appear at the tips or sides of the stems or branches, or sometimes of 
short lateral proper branehlets (i. e. of branchlets formed for the purpose) and consist of, first, 
an involucre formed of the two (or few) last pairs of leaves and the corresponding stipules, 
which become erect, often elongate, and are more lobed than usual ; within this is second, the 
perianth, an erect tubular or inflated sheath, often compressed, winged or angled, with a 
contracted or dilated entire lobed or 2-3-lipped mouth; within this again is, third, the calyp- 
tra, an oblong cyliudric body, split at the side or top ; and fourth, inserted within the calyp- 
tra, is the capsule, which, when ripe, is carried up on a long or short white cellular fruit- 
stalk. 
The capsule splits into 4 valves placed crosswise, and contains spores mixed with extremely 
delicate long cells, which contain usually 2 coiled fibres. 
Of all these organs the calyptra alone is never absent : there may be no involucre, or the 
involucral leaves may be adnateto the perianth, or reduced to scales growing on the perianth. 
The calyptra is sometimes confluent with the perianth ; in Gottschea it is sunk in the 
hollowed tip of the stem ; in Saccogyne and Gymnogyne, it is enclosed in a curious fleshy 
tubular sac that descends from the branch into the ground, or swings from the tip of the 
branch. 
So much for the plant when in fruit. The female inflorescence consists of one or more 
archegonia, analogous to those of mosses , these are slender flagon-shaped bodies, with a 
central cavity communicating with the air by the tubular neck. In the cavity of the arche- 
gonium is a solitary loose cell ; to this the antherozoid (from the antheridia or male inflo- 
rescence) gains access and fertilizes it. After fertilization the archegonium swells (often 
carrying up on its surface the other archegonia, which, not being fertilized, do not change) 
and its aperture closes ; meanwhile the enclosed cell is becoming rapidly developed into a 
capsule, with its fruitstalk, which eventually bursts through the side of the enlarged arche- 
gonium (thereafter called calyptra), rises into the air, splits into 4 valves, and discharges 
the spores. Thus, one great difference between Musci and Hepatica is, that in the former 
the archegonium after beiug developed into a calyptra, is ruptured at its base and carried up 
on the top of the capsule, whilst in Hepatica it remains attached to the stem and the capsule 
bursts through it. 
The male inflorescence consists of minute pedicelled sacs {antheridia) , usually solitary in 
the axils of modified leaves ( perigonial ), which sometimes occupy proper branchlets. The 
antheridia are on the same or different plants from the archegonia, and contain cells with an 
enclosed spiral filament (antherozoids), which are supposed to gain access to and fertilize the 
pistillidia. 
Of the frondose Hepatica many have the same kind of fruit as has been described ; but in 
Marchantiea the involucres perianth and capsule, instead of rising erect from the frond, are 
placed on the under side, and are consequently pendulous from a stalked peltate hemisphe- 
rical receptacle, and the antheridia are in cups or are imbedded in the substance of the 
frond ; in these plants, too, are often found reproductive, green, structureless, globose or 
oblong bodies, called gemma, which grow in special cups. In Antlioceros the capsule is 
erect, as in the foliaceous species, but is very long, liuear, and splits down one side. Finally, 
in Ricci.a, the spherical calvpti'a is sunk in the substance of the frond, aud does not emerge 
from its substauce. It firmly coheres with the enclosed capsule, aud both burst as one 
body, discharging the contained spores. 
Of the Hepatica (about 212) here enumerated, the greater majority were discovered by 
Mr. Coleuso and myself, and were new to science on the return of the Antarctic Expedition to 
England. They were placed, at the late Dr. Taylor’s request, in his hands for immediate 
publication, and the descriptions of many appeared, in 1844, in Hooker’s ‘ London Journal 
of Botany',’ and again in the ‘ Botany of the Antarctic Voyage.’ At that time the valuable 
‘ Synopsis Hepaticarum’ of Gottsche, Lindenberg, and Nees ab Esenbeck, w r as not published 
(it was not completed till 1847), aud the difficulty of ascertaining and defining the genera 
and species was very great indeed. Owing to this cause and to Dr. Taylor’s precipitancy in 
publication, much confusion crept into his work ; the same plant appearing under several 
generic names, and some descriptions answering to subsequently cancelled species, having 
been also published as good species. It is still more unfortunate that Dr. Taylor did not re- 
turn to the Hookerian herbarian specimens of all the species which he received for publica- 
tion, and his herbarium having been sold since his death, there is now little chance of some 
